F3 Behavioral Problems

[npsac]

Hello again everybody,
I've posted here a few times about my f3 rescue, Navi, and i'm sad to report that her behavioral problems seems to only be getting to worse. I'm writing this out of desperation and frustration; she just bit me (again) through a thick fleece, hard enough to draw blood, without any warning that I was upsetting her.

She's developed sloppy litter habits, a biting problem with me, yowls for hours every day, and is very aggressive about wanting treats and/or attention. She's taken to batting at us repeatedly with her paws in the hands and face while meowing as loudly as she can and showing all her teeth. I would assume that she's afraid of us or something, but she's incredibly cuddly and a total lap cat when she has the chance to cuddle with us on the couch.

I'm so confused. I love her, but i'm not sure I can take much more of this. I'm frankly a little bit scared of her at this point.

Help?

 

[Lori Greer]

Hmmm, first things first... is she spayed? Do you have any other cats (this can be a positive or a negative for her so it matters)? Do you have any information about her from previous owner or rescuer?

 

[John Popp]

What's the history on Navi before you acquired her? Any other pets? Does she have run of the house, is she denied access to people with closed doors and how much play time a day are you devoting to her? What kind of food is she eating and what kind of treats? Any on demand food?

Best guesses, she probably needs an area with plenty to stimulate her when she is wanting for attention. If there aren't other pets a companion could be helpful. Set aside play time and make sure to employ something like a feather wand, never your hands. At least 3 separate sessions of a half an hour, in the morning before work, when you arrive home and before you retire. I don't like feeding kibble, but if she is so motivated by treats, I'd make sure she had at least small quantities of on demand food.

 

[Patti]

Poor Navi sounds like she has some real issues. I've had some cats that were overly hyper and easily over stimulated where they will bite me when I'm petting them if they get excited enough, however Navi seems to be a step beyond that. I would suggest first, if you haven't done so already that you have her checked out thoroughly by a vet to make sure there is nothing physically wrong - blood tests, xrays, infection panels, etc. If she seems physically healthy then you should consider contacting Marilyn Krieger, the Cat Coach: www.thecatcoach.com and/or consider putting her on some medication such as Paxil or Buspar. I hope you will be able to resolve your issues with Navi, I can hear how torn you are over her from your email

 

[Wyldthingz]

If you have to give her up, SV rescue may be able to find a foster home that can work on her issues.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I think Patti is right, someone like Marilyn Krieger is a great idea. She is in California, but does extensive phone consultations which will give you a personalized plan to work with Navi. She will most definitely suggest that Navi is taken to a vet first as Patti says....you need to make sure there are no medical reasons for her behavior.

 

[Lori Greer]

I had a cat like this and the trick to it was watching her body language. She actually went a bit beyond what you've described here. Got along with many other cats, but when it came to people, she wanted lovin' and then as you were petting her would promptly chomp down on you. We never did get to the root of it and just had to handle her with care. On the other hand, it almost sounds like Navi needs more play time or a playmate to work off some energy too. Definitely need more info

 

[LaurenO]

Hi, i'm really new to this and I feel for you npsac. I have recently adopted an F4 savannah and I am experiencing similar problems. This forum is helping me to understand him a bit better but i'm still not convinced we are the right home for him. Our cat is not a rescue, he came from a friend of a friend who developed allergies to him and could not keep him. He is just over a year old.

Like Navi, he displays the same behaviors of one minute seeming to like my husband and I, and the next scratching and biting us. He will curl up on the couch near us, sometimes on us, purrs a lot, and follows us room to room. The next minute he will be yowling repeatedly either in his room or right near us, incessantly. He doesn't like to sit in one place for very long, except when napping. At times when I walk past him he will raise up, reaching my waist basically, and using claws, bat and scratch me. When petting I tend to back off more than my husband so he gets bit more often. We've tried using a spray bottle and saying "no!". He'll tear around the condo with claws out and gets all weird at night when i'm getting ready for bed, stalking me from afar and charging up to me then running off again.

He seems to hot and cold. We've only had him living here for 5 weeks and I'm trying to hard to be patient but sometimes struggling. We try to play with him daily around us both working but it's mostly at night time. I want to love him but it's not easy. My cat growing up was an amazing tabby and very chilled out. This guy is so different and he may not be the right fit for us. I'm not sure how you know what behaviors are 1) because he's young and will grow out of it, 2) because he's still adjusting and will grow out of it, or 3) is part of either his particular personality or breed and he won't change.

I apologize for jumping on to your chat page and contributing my issues. Your post sounded so like me that I couldn't help it. I don't know what to do and like you, at times i'm scared of him.

 

[DocMac]

You say he is a year old, right? Maybe he as just never learned "manners" as a baby. As kittens, we need to "scruff" our kittens in certain instances to teach then what behaviors ARE and AREN'T appropriate,such as biting hands, sneak body attack, grabbing food from us, etc. sounds like he may have missed his window in developing these social skills that make human interaction fun. Some can learn at an older age, but others are too stubborn and bull-headed. Good luck. Marilyn can help, in great depth, I assure you. I can "guilt" mine into behaving.

 

[DocMac]

You say he is a year old, right? Maybe he as just never learned "manners" as a baby. As kittens, we need to "scruff" our kittens in certain instances to teach then what behaviors ARE and AREN'T appropriate,such as biting hands, sneak body attack, grabbing food from us, etc. sounds like he may have missed his window in developing these social skills that make human interaction fun. Some can learn at an older age, but others are too stubborn and bull-headed. Good luck. Marilyn can help, in great depth, I assure you. I can "guilt" mine into behaving.

PS. I think he wants to be friendly, but isn't sure how to interact with humans.